This case focuses on an organization established to fight for the housing rights of people living in "informal settlements" in apartheid-era South Africa. In the wake of democratization, the group finds itself under increasing pressure from residents of townships, which it had represented to begin to offer a range of social services for residents in addition to housing advocacy. Its president, Mandla Ndlovu, must now decide whether and how to change the range of services, which the organization offers. This case was developed by the Public and Development Management Program of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. HKS Case Number 1291.0
In 1993 the municipally owned utility serving Gainesville, Florida was threatening to build a 23-mile rail spur to connect its coal-fired power plant with the tracks of the Norfolk/Southern Railway. The railroad currently delivering the coal, CSXT, had announced a large rate increase to take effect at the end of its current five-year contract and had refused to allow Norfolk/Southern Railway, which was offering a lower rate, to use CSXT tracks to deliver coal to the plant. CSXT had responded to the utility's threat to build the spur by reducing its proposed rate increase and the utility now had to decide whether it should proceed with the spur or accept the new CSXT offer. This case may be used to discuss barriers to entry, market power, and appropriate public policy responses. HKS Case Number 1299.0
A technical note for advanced students on the topic of valuing highly-levered equity. Introduces the "equity cash flow" valuation methodology, shows how to use it, discusses the sources and signs of its built-in biases, and provides some guidance about when to use it.
A middle-level division manager must decide whether he should support an investment request for a third attempt at launching a new product developed by a struggling business unit. Describes the long, difficult process by which the unit has developed the product--a computer privacy screen--after years of problems and continuing losses, and its absolute faith in the project. Also presents the division manager's concerns about the need for discipline and control, setting up a tension that is focused on the launch decision.
Designed to be used in conjunction with Byrnes, Byrnes & Townsend. Discusses a suit brought by a woman client who was badly injured in an automobile accident and alleges that a proximate cause of the accident was faulty repairs on her car by a Patriot-insured auto shop. Contains common information about the law, the accident, witnesses, etc., but different information about the organizational context within which each negotiator must operate.
Designed to be used in conjunction with Patriot National Insurance Co. Discusses a suit brought by a woman client who was badly injured in an automobile accident and alleges that a proximate cause of the accident was faulty repairs on her car by a Patriot-insured auto shop. Contains common information about the law, the accident, witnesses, etc., but different information about the organizational contexts within which each negotiator must operate.
Fleet Bank is considering a construction loan for a 390-unit apartment project in Austin, Texas. The case describes the location, market, product, and other real estate factors the bank needs to consider in making this loan. Also discusses the financial and construction risks involved in structuring this kind of credit facility.
The JKJ pension fund currently has $187 million invested in 14 properties. Sarah Griffin, the portfolio manager for real estate, needs to value each of the properties and recommend which ones should be sold and which ones to hold. She further needs to recommend guidelines for new investments and the appropriate portfolio for a major pension fund.
For decades after the revolution of 1917, Communist Party leaders claimed that the socialist economic system was superior to the capitalist system on both moral and economic grounds. By 1985, when Mikhail Gorbachev became general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the economic claim had been increasingly contradicted by the facts. Soviet per-capita income remained significantly below western levels, and Soviet growth rates had declined steadily since the 1960s. Gorbachev searched for a way out of this economic deterioration announcing a policy of perestroika and glasnost. Had Gorbachev misdiagnosed the problem? Should other options have been pursued? This case outlines the starting conditions for any attempts at economic reform of a socialist system. Describes the economic strategy of allocating resources by command channels rather than allowing resources to be allocated by markets and firms. This clear example of planning leads to deeper understanding of the forms of planning seen in other countries. Successes and failures of this system are noted, with particular attention to the information aggregation and processing demands made on central planners.
Examines the founding of the United States of America during the second half of the eighteenth century. Focuses on: 1) the reasons why the American colonists rebelled against Britain (1763-1774); 2) the problems the new nation confronted during the War of Independence and under the Articles of Confederation (1775-1788); 3) the main issues taken up at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia (1787); and 4) the enormous challenges facing Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury in the first Washington Administration (1789-1792). A complete version of the Constitution (including the first 10 amendments) is attached as an appendix.
When is a product ready for the market? In this case, engineers present a prototype medical device product to the CEO for approval. The product, developed under a tight deadline, is essentially identical to the main competitor's product, but that competitor is temporarily off the market due to regulatory problems. The CEO must decide whether to take the product quickly to market to take advantage of the window of opportunity, or to send the engineers back to the lab to develop a more distinctive product that could differentiate Zoll more in the long term.
Labatt Breweries of Canada introduced its Ice Beer to the Canadian market, it gained rapid acceptance by consumers, and has spawned imitators and attracted the interest of brewers in the United States. The president of Labatt Breweries, Hugo Powell, must decide if and how Labatt should enter the U.S. market with its product and new brewing technology. The case provides information on the Canadian and United States beer markets, pointing out the differences that Labatt has to consider in trying to profit from its new product in the U.S. An in-depth note Note on the Mexican Beer Industry is available to accompany this case.
The Polish government is privatizing Cementownia Odra, a cement firm. Tomasz Budziak, a team leader, is negotiating on behalf of the Polish Ministry of Privatization. Hans-Hugo Miebach, owner of a German cement company, has made an attractive offer; a deal hinges on several issues concerning potential liabilities, a Polish tax credit, land acquisition, and the import of refuse-derived fuel. The case is designed as a simulation in which students actually negotiate, either as Budziak or Miebach, and the need to make contingent arrangements arises naturally. For both Budziak and Miebach, there is uncertainty, sometimes quite substantial, about the extent of liabilities, the likelihood of a tax credit, and the possibility of acquiring requisite quarry land. Provides general information on the Odra negotiation.